Sex Called Safe for Most Heart Patients

Most heart patients are healthy enough to have sex, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. In a new statement, the group tries to clear up questions about what’s known about sex and heart disease. Heart patients should ask a doctor if they can safely have sex. Some may need heart rehab first. But most eventually get the doctor’s OK, even after a heart attack. Generally, the AHA says, if you can climb two flights of stairs without chest pain or gasping for breath, you can have sex. The risk of having a heart attack is two to three times higher during sex. But that’s still only a slight increase in a person’s overall heart attack risk, the AHA says. Only about 1% of heart attacks are caused by sex. Research suggests that the risk of sudden death from sex is greatest for a married man having an affair with a younger woman in an unfamiliar place.